Point Loma Lighthouse (San Diego, USA) – exposure, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
The old lighthouse, located on the Point Loma Peninsula, is within the Cabrillo National Monument. Today, it is no longer used as a lighthouse, but a museum operates inside. Sometimes the lighthouse is mistakenly called the “Old Spanish Lighthouse”, but in fact it was not built at all during the Spanish or Mexican San Diego period. The Point Loma lighthouse was built in 1855, when the city was already controlled by the United States, and California became part of the state as one of the states. True, this event was only 19 days ahead of the decision to build lighthouses on the coast of California. See anycountyprivateschools for Alaska state information and business schools.
The Point Loma lighthouse was one of a series of lighthouses funded by Congress in 1850 (along with the lighthouses of Alcatraz Island, Point Concepcion, Battery Point, Farallon Island, and Point Pinos). Construction began in 1854 when building materials arrived from San Francisco. The lantern and lenses were ordered in Paris and arrived a year and a half later. In the same year the lighthouse was completed.
To understand what was so special about the life of the Israel family at the lighthouse, you need to imagine how every morning children swim across the bay in the fog to get to school.
After the work was completed, a small building was attached to the lighthouse, which was originally used as a warehouse for oil, wood and other consumables. In 1875 part of the building was turned into a two-room apartment for the lighthouse keeper. It is in this extension that the museum exposition operates today.
While the lighthouse was in operation, it remained the tallest of all US lighthouses. Generally speaking, this could not be unequivocally considered an advantage: since the lighthouse stood on the top of a cliff 122 m high, fog and low clouds often blocked its light for ships. On foggy nights, the caretaker was forced to fire blanks from his gun in order to literally drive the ships away from a dangerous place. So in 1891 the lighthouse lantern was moved lower.
In 1984, the lantern of the Point Loma lighthouse was lit again for the first time in 93 years, during the celebration of the site’s 130th anniversary. More than 3,000 people gathered for the celebration, of which more than 100 were descendants of the former lighthouse keeper, Robert Israel, and his wife Maria.
In the lighthouse museum, you can see the original lenses, as well as maps, historical documents, and original furnishings that give you an idea of life in this place. In particular, it tells the interesting story of San Diego pioneer and longest-serving lighthouse keeper, Robert Decatur Israel. A native of Pittsburgh, Robert went through the Mexican War, including the famous Battle of Chapultepec, in 1871 he was appointed assistant caretaker, and in 1874 he was promoted to the rank of caretaker (his wife Maria became his assistant, as was customary at lighthouses ). The Israel family, along with their four children, lived alone on Point Loma, making sure that the fire at the lighthouse burned every night. And so it went on for 18 years in a row. All the children grew up, and one of Israel’s grandchildren was also born at the lighthouse.
To understand what was so special about the life of the Israel family at the lighthouse, you need to imagine how every morning children swim across the bay in the fog to get to school, and how only occasionally one of the townspeople decides to ride through the mud and slush to the lighthouse to to visit the Robinson people living here.
Usually the lighthouse tower is closed to the public, but two days a year it can be viewed. It’s April 25, the National Park Service’s birthday, and November 15, the lighthouse’s birthday.
Practical Information
The old Point Loma Lighthouse sits right in the middle of the Cabrillo National Monument. It can be reached directly from the parking lot, either by a short cut or past the military exhibition. The second option is to follow the walking sightseeing trail from the visitor center (the lighthouse will be waiting for you at the end of it).
Lombard Street
Lombard Street (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
Lombard Street, the most visited by tourists in San Francisco, cannot boast of skyscrapers, boutiques, or sights. The secret of its popularity is in the sinuousness – this is the most “crooked” street in the United States. Eight sharp turns on the 400-meter stretch of Russian Hill and a surface slope of almost 30 degrees made Lombard Street the most photographed street in San Fran.
Once Lombard Street was absolutely straight, literally breaking down the hill to its foot. This was not difficult for pedestrians (although some physical preparation was required to conquer the street), but with the massive spread of cars in the early 20th century, movement along Lombard Street became difficult: no car could overcome such a steepness. Then the city authorities laid a serpentine here, which, for an acceptable slope of the road, had to be “deployed” as many as eight times. At the same time, the street was paved with red brick tiles, which only added to its attractiveness.
Colorful mansions and lush flower beds have made Lombard Street a popular spot for photo ops.
